I 26 Falfe Stories, Romances, andother tempting Books. Dir. i o. Keep up a fenfe cf your own neceffity, which may provoke you to be better, husbands of your tongues and time and engage thole you convene with, to mind you or your idle talk, and take you off it as loon as you begin. Dir.' t. See that your heart, and tongue, and all be Abfo- lutely devoted to God ; and then you will queftion any by ex- penile of words: and [Whatfoever yets do in wordor deed, yon Will do all in the name of Chriff, and to theglory and praife of God] COL 3. 17. t Cor to: 3t. Dir. i z. BeRefolute for God, and be not afhamed to own him and his caufe. A finful bafhfulnefs hinders much good. Ob- ferve thefe Direetions for this part of felf-denial. CHAP. XXI I. FalfeStories, Romances, andother tempting Books. 5. A Not her point of fenfuality tobe denied, is, The reading or hearing offalfe and temptingBooks, and thole that only tend to pare an idlefancy, and not to edifie.Such as are Romances, and other feigned hiftories ofthat nature , with books of tales, and jells, and foolifh complements with which the world fo much ahoundetb, that there's fewbut may have admittance to this Library of the Devil. Abundance of old feigned Stories, and new Romances are in the hands,efpeciallyof Children, and idle Gentlemen, and filthy luftfral Gallants, or empty perfons that favour not greater matters, but have fpirits futable to fuch gawds as thefe. But if they were only toyes, I should fay the lefs ; but, having feen by long obfervation the mifchief of them, I defire you tonote it in thefe few particulars. i.They enfnare us it; a world ofguilt,by drawingus to the neg- lett of thofe many, theegreat and =diary things that all of us have tomind and flr.dy. 0 for a man or woman, that is un- der a load of fin, una fruredof pardon and falvation, that is neer todeath, and unready to die, to be feen with a Story or Ro- mance in their hand ! what a grofs incongruity is this ? Its fit- ter
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